Jimmy BufFETT
Well-Known Hunter
Now no, I don't have any animation or graphics of the Slave I in trouble. But I am a pilot myself. I kinda feel the closest experience I'll ever get to flying Slave I is just by going to work and flying. One of these days I just may fly in armor.
Anyway, here is what happened. When I got up to altitude, my student tried to pull the throttles back, and the left one would not go back. After about 5 to 10 minutes of troubleshooting, nothing changed ... it was jammed nearly full forward. It's like driving, pushing the gas pedal to the floor, and having it stick there. So the question becomes: how to land a plane with an engine stuck at nearly full power? An experienced pilot doesn't have to think ... the answer is it has to be shutdown before landing, and the landing must be done with 1 engine. This is something I have trained on time and time again, and now I train people for this type of situation. By now, it is almost routine.
Since I had 2 students on board, one of them in the back seat got a video of the emergency taking place. Since my camera records large file-sized videos, I broke it up into 3 segments. I thought I'd share them in case anybody wants to see what a real emergency landing looks like. (Sorry about the shaking ... there was some significant turbulence.)
The engine shutdown:
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=535b50f1.flv
The approach to the runway:
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=0ac8b08f.flv
The landing. Yeah, I was pretty cheerful when the wheels touched.
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=33ef4a0e.flv
And before anybody asks, I will answer the question honestly. No ... I was not afraid. I've simulated this situation so many times that it is almost second-nature. However, this was a big 'first' for me. And no, this situation is not common ... it is the first emergency I've ever encountered.
UPDATE: 6/18 ... What caused it:
There was a small deformation in the cable itself. As the throttle was moved to and fro during many flights, the deformation in the cable eventually caught itself on the sheath and began to kink up. There are two ways this could have been caused, and one is the more likely one. First, it could be a factory defect ... the cable was nearly brand new. But the more probable reason was it had not been installed correctly. Somebody probably bent the cable by accident ... and once that happened, the bend / deformation to the cable could not be removed. It's similar to bending a paper clip and then trying to get it straight again.
Anyway, here is what happened. When I got up to altitude, my student tried to pull the throttles back, and the left one would not go back. After about 5 to 10 minutes of troubleshooting, nothing changed ... it was jammed nearly full forward. It's like driving, pushing the gas pedal to the floor, and having it stick there. So the question becomes: how to land a plane with an engine stuck at nearly full power? An experienced pilot doesn't have to think ... the answer is it has to be shutdown before landing, and the landing must be done with 1 engine. This is something I have trained on time and time again, and now I train people for this type of situation. By now, it is almost routine.
Since I had 2 students on board, one of them in the back seat got a video of the emergency taking place. Since my camera records large file-sized videos, I broke it up into 3 segments. I thought I'd share them in case anybody wants to see what a real emergency landing looks like. (Sorry about the shaking ... there was some significant turbulence.)
The engine shutdown:
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=535b50f1.flv
The approach to the runway:
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=0ac8b08f.flv
The landing. Yeah, I was pretty cheerful when the wheels touched.
http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g...ncy Landing/?action=view¤t=33ef4a0e.flv
And before anybody asks, I will answer the question honestly. No ... I was not afraid. I've simulated this situation so many times that it is almost second-nature. However, this was a big 'first' for me. And no, this situation is not common ... it is the first emergency I've ever encountered.
UPDATE: 6/18 ... What caused it:
There was a small deformation in the cable itself. As the throttle was moved to and fro during many flights, the deformation in the cable eventually caught itself on the sheath and began to kink up. There are two ways this could have been caused, and one is the more likely one. First, it could be a factory defect ... the cable was nearly brand new. But the more probable reason was it had not been installed correctly. Somebody probably bent the cable by accident ... and once that happened, the bend / deformation to the cable could not be removed. It's similar to bending a paper clip and then trying to get it straight again.
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